


Golden Times

by sizzlinteapot



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Adventures, Angst, Broken Friendship, Epic Battles, Fluff, Gen, I just wanted to write about past Maui and Tamatoa having adventures and being good friends, Slow Burn, Storytelling, We'll see what happens - Freeform, and hopefully write a good continuation to it, background exploration, exploration of feelings, their friendship may evolve into something more
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10833174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sizzlinteapot/pseuds/sizzlinteapot
Summary: It was a cold night and boredom brought them to this point. But now Maui was indirectly forced to revisit a past that he wanted to forget, if only to soothe the ache in his heart and the emptiness in his soul. Missing a friend was never easy.A series of stories telling Maui and Tamatoa's past as friends and their adventures together as well as the many emotions they share and discover. And Maui finding himself rethinking their relationship and the depth of his own feelings.





	1. Beggining

The sound of the waves was gentle that one night and the wind blew softly, rustling the palm tree’s leaves that towered over an empty beach. The stars shimmered endlessly and the moonlight hovered above the sea, covering the horizon in silver. Nature’s silence persisted and it remained undisturbed until two figures revealed themselves, chuckling in amusement as they walked and brushed the tall bushes and other flora aside, straight towards the deserted beach.

“Father means well.” The girl said, her smile fond as she tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear. “I was an unruly child after all.”

Her companion snorted, knowing all too well of said girl’s ‘unruliness’ –dare he say, more like stubbornness, really- but gave no comment and they were engulfed by a comfortable silence once again.

It was almost like a ritual by now as they settled on their roles of looking for twigs and spare wood to light up their small campfire. Sleepless nights called for company and what better company than an old friend?

Even if Moana wasn’t that much of an old friend –indeed compared to him, she was but a speck in the sand, with still so much to learn and see from this world. Still, she understood him in some way; in a way that compelled him to seek her from time to time, when he found respite from his adventures and was nearby to visit her. He would come bearing gifts and fresh stories for her and the people of her island to share for the many years to come; to keep his legend alive and strong. After all, he didn’t plan on disappearing from mankind’s books again so soon. Now that he had cleared his name, there was freedom in every breath he took. The air never felt so clean and fresh. It was like he was a young lad once again, seeing the world with his new eyes and puffing up his chest towards the unknown and exciting danger ahead.

And just like before, he was alone.

Once their fire was alive and steady, they chose some smooth rocks nearby to sit on and settled quietly. Moana pulled at the spare shawl she had brought with her. It was a pleasant night but still slightly chilly. Maui could not feel the difference with his demigod status but he was the one that had insisted for her to bring it, not wanting her famous stubbornness to make her fall ill. They stayed silent for a few more minutes, staring at the fire and listening to its soothing crackles. Their content expressions were highlighted by the flames and made them look older than they were.

Or perhaps it just made Maui what he simply always was. Old but ageless, tired but with still too much to give.

Alone but enjoying the company of a friend that he knew he was missing in his life but dared not think too much about.

He would never dare to think Moana as a substitute though, never. Her eyes weren’t as piercing but yet they could still compel him to open up in her own way of being. She was determined like all humans seemed to be. Maui had always admired that trait.

When they couldn’t sleep, both having their own reasons, they would reach a silent agreement and settle down here. Sometimes to share stories, other times to simply enjoy each other’s company.

“Maui?” Her voice was loud despite it being low in the silent night. He raised his head from his staring at the fire and hummed, throwing an additional log to the fire that purred from that fuel.

“Tell me a story.”

Ah. So this was one of those nights.

Maui chuckled, crossing his arms across his chest where his Mini self sat contently, cross legged and with closed eyes. He scratched at his chin in thought, searching his mind for one of the thousands of impressive feats to tell his friend.

“Anything particular in mind?” It would be easier if she did. It wasn’t always that he asked but he knew she would be happier if she picked the theme.

She seemed to be in deep thought for a while, her eyes roaming his chest and he uncrossed his arms as if to proudly further expose his feats of strength. Yet her eyes stopped roaming and were now seemingly searching with purpose. So she was interested in a story engraved in his body? This promised to be a good night.

Yet her eyes didn’t seem to find what she was looking for at his front and his smile twitched as she started to lean, searching for his back. A small tingle of nervousness tickled his belly as the back was a whole different shelf of ‘trophies’.

Survival trophies, specifically.

“Even though I’ve seen it firsthand, my curiosity was not sated by that one encounter. There was something off about you two in that moment. I know it’s there, on your back. It covers almost your entire left side! It must have been an epic battle!” Her eyes shined with innocent curiosity and he felt his stomach drop as he immediately knew what battle she was talking about.

Tamatoa’s battle.

He had never been the same after that. Something in him still recoiled in self horror at the image of Tamatoa scurrying back and away from him in agony, bloody from both their bloods. The sound of his pained screech.

The look in his eyes.

Maui had to slightly shake his head to snap himself from the dark haze of that memory. To see such a precious friend look at you like that; a gaze that was as ageless as he was. It took his breath away and not in the good way that it used to before. It made him itch and want to claw his own skin out, rip that blasted tattoo out and away from his body. Never to be so proudly displayed again.

That was no feat of strength. It was his own feat of shame, something that he wanted to forget but wouldn’t let himself do it. Because as much as he hated he felt that it was also his only way to honor that glorious fight – because it had indeed been glorious, even epic as Moana had said. Never before had he had such an intense fight, not even with the lava monster where he had been simply chucked aside.

And for that, Maui smiled his own version of a nostalgic smile, his mind being suddenly filled with images of his old friend’s prowess and courage and…stubbornness and just pure sheer strength.

And the comfort of his towering presence. The lightness of his words. The sassiness of his jokes, sharp tongue always ready for a suitable comeback of Maui’s own snarky jabs.

The timeless companionship that could never be replaced no matter how hard he tried.

“Maui?” Moana’s voice brought him back from his fond but saddened thoughts and he looked at her now concerned expression. She feared that she had opened an old wound –and yes, she had- but he couldn’t quite be upset at her for it. Perhaps it would do him good to share the good times he had had with Tamatoa. Perhaps it could be his way of keeping those times alive even if they were now just a blurry memory, so far away in years that it was humanly impossible to count.

“Oh, yea, it was a really intense fight. You know, me and Tamatoa, we go way back…”

Moana’s expression shifted just as quickly to interest, already predicting a great story ahead. And Maui’s smile widened, the breeze around them suddenly ceasing to exist eerily and his eyes almost seemed to glow mischievously in the night, preparing himself for what could be not only just one epic storytelling…

…but several of them.

 

 


	2. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the encouragement and precious feedback, it really helps a lot! <3

_“I was young, even by demigod standards, and eager to prove my worth…”_

And the days were just barely starting to stretch now that he had accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of lassoing the Sun itself. Its rays were warm and the heat was at its peak in this particular season. The crystalline clear blue waters shimmered under its powerful reflection and Maui was admiring his own, threading careful fingers through his untamable curls, looking proudly at the broad shoulders and chest that were beginning to harden with his developing muscles and he chuckled as he flexed his pectorals, satisfied that he could finally do it and liked how his newly acquired tattoo seemed to pop to life with the flex. His skin was even more tanned now and the few tattoos that he wore, he wore them with honor, pleased that he was walking the path that the Gods had weaved for him.

This was his purpose. He was reborn from the nothing to achieve the ultimate greatness. And he would do anything to keep that greatness and glorify it even more, giving the humans everything that they could never even dream of. To them, when the imagination stretched to the limit, Maui appeared to prove them wrong and have them speechless with awe, with admiration.

With reverence.

Maui could never describe just how good of a feeling it was when humans bowed to him and sang him harmonious praises and elevated his name to the Gods in gratitude. They lavished him with gifts –even if he felt no need for the possessions of mortals- and land and sometimes even daughters that he politely declined for that was not what drove him to do such things for them. He would blame it on his everlasting fascination with humans and all they stood for and created, always surprising him in some way. There was always something that Maui could do to aid them.

Today was a slow, lazy day though. Not much trouble in the horizon to be heard of except a few petty thieves –the ones that Maui would never bother with- and the occasional family spat that led to a selfish separation of possessions. The Gods didn’t design him for such mundane things.

And so he sat on the sand, one hand ‘combing’ through his silky curls, gathering the salt from the sea that had prevailed from its travel by the wind and another hand absentmindedly toying with the ends of his lava lava skirt, toes curling and uncurling as he breathed in the sea breeze. He let out a happy hum, soon transforming it into a tune that he had been working on but still only had the beginning notes. He didn’t really know where he was going with it but it was catchy so far. As the minutes went by, he wondered if today was actually going to be an uneventful day, without an epic fight against some sort of impossible foe, without his amazing shapeshifting powers to have the humans seeing him either soaring in the skies or threading powerfully in the calm waters, showcasing his bravery for the coming legends and campfire stories.

He continued to wonder for a total of five minutes before a startled scream broke the peaceful silence in the island, accompanied by another horrified screech.

“The Kakamora are here!!”

Ah, so they were back so soon? Even after their disgraceful defeat last time? They should know by now that this island was especially heavily protected by him and that only a mighty butt kicking awaited them. Well, if they wanted it so bad, who was Maui to deny them?

With a tilted smirk, Maui shook his head and started to get up, dusting the sand from the back of his legs and then from his hands. He reached for his hook and heaved it over his shoulder effortlessly, whistling that developing tune as he started to head towards the main human village of the island. His body was starting to heat up with excitement, boyish muscles tensing in untrained anxiousness as the sounds of battle started to become louder the closer he approached.

When he finally passed through the last tall tree, he discovered a ravaged village. Children and women and elders crying and looking for their loved ones as the men battled as best as they could the overwhelming horde of Kakamora pirates that had suddenly attacked from out of nowhere, pillaging and burning the modest huts and drawing their markings on the remains.

Feeling enraged by the sight already, Maui let out a roaring battle cry and charged towards the nearest group, swinging his hook and sending them all flying towards all possible directions, their little bodies making startled high pitched sounds of surprise and pain. The men that had been fending them off seemed tired but their expressions instantly lit up when they saw him and gave him a whooping cheer. Maui winked and saluted playfully before he headed towards the next group, sending those against the nearby trees before a bright flash and his famous ‘Cheehoo!’ announced his shapeshifting. His favorite form of them all, the giant hawk, soared through the sky and did a few impressive loops before he dived at amazing speed towards yet another group. But now the Kakamora were more aware of his presence and tried to run from him, scattering in a panic as his hawk shriek pierced their ears before they were eventually led away from the village to avoid being hit. They were being successfully herded away but as a last minute agreement, the remaining Kakamora rallied with a whistle from the apparent leader of the attack and started to head to a different direction.

Maui was doing a sharp turn around a tree when such happened and, intrigued, decided to let them go if only to have them reveal their intended retreat destination. The humans cheered him as he followed the pirates and he gave an assuring screech before he continued following them. He decided to lay low and descended sharply upon the ground, swiftly transforming now into a black panther to settle into a stealthy prowl. Now that he wasn’t in sight, the remaining Kakamora group slowed down even if they were still carefully looking around, weapons raised and at the ready. Maui resisted the urge to let out an amused purr, nostrils flaring at their coconut scent intensified by this animal form and he kept tailing them as they descended the hill and back towards the beach. Soon enough he could make out the form of a ship anchored by the shore and more Kakamora signaling to the group he was following, raising the goods they were able to scavenge from the poor villagers in triumph. Maui growled, knowing by now that he would make them regret it.

He retreated back into the shadows when the group seemed to catch that sound and turned around startled, black empty sockets looking around almost frantically before they quickened their pace towards their ship. When deemed safe, Maui continued to follow.

He waited for the group to finally think they were safe and victorious, greeting their fellow sailors with laughing hoots before he sprinted from his hiding spot amidst the high trees and bushes. The leader jumped and hurriedly gestured for them to remove the plank and lift the anchor, for their peers to set sail as quickly as possible and they all did so in a panic, knowing more than well who was currently quite ferociously hunting them.

Maui let out a cat like version of a laugh before he pounced, knocking out the quivering lad that was trying to remove the boarding plank and knocking him instantly unconscious. The other Kakamora grabbed their weapons and started lunging at them, empowered by fear and the battle cry of their leader. As a large group charged towards him, Maui grinned and bared his fearsome sharp and large fangs, rolling his shoulders roguishly and another bright flash momentarily blinded the attacking pirates before they were once again thrown around by the now charging huge boar that was barreling towards them with ease and sheer brutal strength. As he reached the other end of the ship, leaving a trail of slight destruction and unconscious Kakamora behind, he heard the survivors still persisting, pointing their weapons towards him. Although small and otherwise only counting on the strength of numbers, Maui could admit that the Kakamora’s determination was nothing but admirable. As he turned around to face them, huffing in amusement and scraping a hoof on the wooden deck, preparing himself for another charge, he was suddenly halted by surprise when he spotted six other pirates cautiously grouping around a rather extremely large cage –one that wasn’t even wooden, like everything else that was made by the Kakamora but rather made of really strong looking metal. Maui’s eyes widened as he saw them practically smashing the key lock open in a sickened state of panic and desperation. This was their last resort, he concluded.

A last stand.

And this last stand sent the door of that towering cage flying with the two Kakamora, that were standing in front of it right after the key lock snapped, and straight towards Maui’s direction making him dodge to the side to avoid being hit –sluggishly in his heavy boar form.

The size of the cage was well justified it seemed. From the inside came a creature that Maui could only describe as monstrous in nature, towering in presence and mass, raising large and deadly pincers towards the fleeing Kakamora in what could only be called as a blood thirsty rage. And yet, despite it being so large and absolutely terrifying, Maui could see how young it was, could see the slight daze and confusion in its glare. It was angry, oh so angry he could see –and he knew he needed to subdue it _fast_ \- but it was also…scared. Lost.

It had been captured, he knew now. And probably had been planned to become some kind of war beast for the Kakamora, an ultimate weapon that could very well become something to fear if they had succeeded.

Thankfully, Maui was here to save the day.

He winced as those pincers went down at amazing speeds, chasing the terrified pirates and closing down on them when it managed to reach them. With a simple clench, it cracked the coconut shells open and the Kakamora screamed in agony, arms raising uselessly, pounding desperately on the massive claws, to no use, of course.

It was such a savage display of strength that Maui, young reckless Maui, felt himself hesitate in his approach to the creature. Not even he treated the pirates with such vengeance. As he braced himself, the last Kakamora was wiped out of the monster’s way and its eye stalks were suddenly on him, narrowing in calculated carefulness as it regarded the new ‘enemy’.

Maui blinked, noting how intelligent it seemed just by that halt in its violent rampage. Now that it was in full display he could see that it was what the humans called a ‘coconut crab’. Except this one had clearly outgrown more than the triple of the size of a normal adult one and yet it possessed the appearance of a simple youngling. But he couldn’t marvel at such oddity for much longer as the creature began circling him, body lowering in a more poised battle stance and pincers raised and aggressive.

Maui gulped but was never one to back down from a challenge.

He wished he had calculated the crab’s speed better though when it suddenly barreled towards him and knocked him against the ship’s railing, making it almost crack with the strength of the strike and Maui’s boar form’s weight combined. It also surprised him enough to make him lose focus of his magic and had him transforming back to his original form.

And perhaps that was what had saved him from yet another quite nasty cheap shot as, when he opened his eyes with a groan, he was faced with a raised opened pincer pointed at his neck. It suddenly halted with shock, the crab’s eyes widened in awe and amazement at the transformation and discovery of a not so mundane boar after all.

Or perhaps it recognized his tattoos? The few ones that he had back then.

It seemed fascinated with them in a way, the eyes following the patterns on his chest for a split second of hesitation before it retreated when it noticed that Maui wisely didn’t do any move to take advantage of the moment and strike back. They reached a stand still then, both of them looking at each other with a certain kind of silent bedazzlement.

Yet the silence seemed almost suffocating to Maui, between the groans of pain from the Kakamora around them.

It was then that Maui’s eyes caught the scratches on the monster’s pincers and a few old cracks along its blue and purple tinted shell as well as an equally old scar near its mouth, small but deep enough to still be noticeable.

“They held you down. Made you fight…” He muttered. Something about his eyes and his words made the crab seemingly almost wince backwards, looking around, obviously searching now for the nearest escape. Maui didn’t quite know what to make of this situation but something about this crab drew him in. It was obviously distressed and confused and Maui was nothing but a hero, a demigod, and it was his duty to protect all humans and creatures. The situation touched him in a way, even if his chest still ached after the crab’s attack.

Just as he tried reaching out though, the monster was startled and scampered backwards, making a hasty retreat towards the other end of the railing. Realizing it was fleeing, Maui tried to calm it down, waving his hands.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, I won’t hurt you!”

But his words fell on deaf ears –or perhaps no ears at all- as the crab flung itself from the railing and dived onto the high sea. When Maui leaned down, eyes searching, he could see its form swimming away and downwards and a small sensation of bitter defeat brewed in his heart. He couldn’t quite tell why he felt like he had lost.

Perhaps it was better this way.

With a shrug, he gathered the village’s pillaged goods and more and made his way back, leaving behind the pirates to curse his name and lick their wounds.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Maui woke up with the sunrise, high up in the trees on his makeshift hammock. Stretching, he yawned and grabbed his hook, quickly transforming into a hawk to make his descent onto the ground where he transformed back. He made his way to the shoreline and breathed in the morning sea breeze, his voluptuous curls waving and dancing with the wind as he sat down. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly, feeling a certain hitch on the top of his head as if a weight had been put on it. Twitching his nose, he sleepily reached to scratch only for his fingers to find something smooth and solid, very much like a shell. Opening his eyes, Maui grabbed it and brought it down to his gaze.

It was a shimmering conch, a rather beautiful one, with a warm combination of tones of gold and white. He gasped at it before he felt a presence behind him that surely had been there for a while. Conches just simply didn’t find their ways atop demigods’ heads.

Turning around, he let out an undignified yelp that was mirrored by the monster crab that had been behind him, the creature recoiling in itself and clutching its pincers close to its chest.

In shock, Maui looked between the conch and the crab before exclaiming:

“Oh! You’re back!”

The crab blinked, looking to the side almost self consciously and Maui couldn’t help but be marveled at just how sentient the monster was acting. The expressions it was making could almost be comparable to a human’s.

Never before had he seen such a thing.

Looking down at the conch, he couldn’t help but noticing how thoughtful of a gift it seemed to be, with all its beauty and shine. It was picked with a purpose.

“…You’re thanking me?”

And at that the crab nodded.

Maui’s eyes widened, almost stumbling backwards as it was now confirmed that it could understand him.

Perhaps…

“Can you talk?” He asked rather bluntly and the crab rolled its eyes, as if predicting the cheesy question.

“Yea, I can, ink skin.” It replied rather sassily actually but Maui could only feel marveled. The voice, although still maturing, was obviously male.

“Oh wow. That’s awesome!” His own voice cracked slightly with excitement and he could feel his cheeks redden.

Squeezing the conch still in his grip, he cleared his throat and put on his own cocky smirk.

“Well then.” His eyes glimmered at the prospect of getting to actually know a sea monster.

“You’re welcome!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, let's just imagine that young Maui hadn't seen a great deal of talking sea monsters before Tamatoa. Perhaps he had even been the first one he had ever seen. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. (●´ω｀●)


	3. Name

The flames flickered and crackled softly between them. Maui smiled fondly, tossing a spare log to feed them and they jumped, the hot fire licking at the wood and sending little embers astray. Closing his eyes for a moment, he was almost able to feel the warm breeze from that morning, could almost feel the gentle heat of the rising sun and the tiniest hint of Tamatoa’s always present tick: the small clacking of his pincers when he felt restless, either from nervousness or excitement. Memories were precious and rare to truly stick for a demigod and, Gods willing, this was one of the few that he could truly recall with most ease. Maybe because it was truly an amazing scenario. Perhaps because of the string of other great memories that followed that one moment.

Whatever it was, Maui reveled in it for a second and for that one second, him and Moana remained in a meditative kind of silence.

Until she broke it of course, her tone a mix of amazement and disbelief.

“…Wait, so you’re telling me that _Tamatoa,_ the giant human devouring monster crab, had been captured by the Kakamora?!”

Nevermind the fact that Moana also was having a hard time imagining that same monster crab as anything other than absolutely humongous, bigger than two Kakamora ships from Maui’s story stacked on top of each other.

Pulled from his deep reverie, Maui snorted, opening his eyes and nodding almost solemnly.

“You have to take into account that this was a _looong_ time ago, pipsqueak. I’m talking thousands of years ago. When your great, great GREAT grandparents couldn’t even dream to exist…!”

Moana shot him an unamused look, pulling her shawl closer around her body as a slightly colder wind rustled by.

“I get it, you’re both very old.”

Well.

When she put it like that and especially with that drawling tone, Maui almost felt insulted. He narrowed his eyes at her, his lips twisting into a disgruntled version of a pout.

“Tch, I prefer the term _ancient_ , thank you very much. Preferably with _legend_ attached to it.”

She gave no comment about the bitter hint in his words at the prospect of being teased for being old but her expression shifted and her smile transformed into more of a knowing smirk.

Maui avoided the mirthful look that accompanied said smirk and cleared his throat, moving in his seat to lean back on his hands for a bit, getting himself comfortable. He looked up at the shimmering stars above them and tilted his head slightly, vaguely catching the beginning of a rather familiar looking constellation. He paid no further mind to it though as he continued on with his story.

“Now wh _ere was I…”_

 

* * *

 

 

 _“…you’re lo_ oking worse for wear, crabcake.”

His newly made acquaintance slowly blinked in that buggish manner of his –first the right eye, then the left- his gaze alert, albeit slightly tired and blank. His mouth twisted into that of a snarky grimace, clacking his pincers together.

“You sure know how to break the ice, babe.”

Maui had the grace to look a bit sheepish –while also trying to process the notion of a monster talking crab calling him _babe-_  knowing how off putting it must be to go from pure amazement at such a creature to then pointing out its obvious state of injury, and none too flattering even. But on that note, Maui’s eyes roved over the fresh wounds –wounds that had definitely not been done by the fight against the Kakamora- and he examined their depth with discretion. One of the crab’s legs was bent at an odd angle and the old scar at the mouth had been opened, a trail of dried blue blood tracing a path downwards. The pincers had fresh scratches on them and the crab, although standing tall, seemed to not be able to remain still, his form wobbling the barest amount now and then.

Maui could only conclude that the fellow had gotten into even more trouble after he had fled the Kakamora boat and into the high sea.

“What in Gods’ name happened to you?” He blurted out with no amount of finesse, always the one to never dance around a subject.

As if in reaction to such another blatant question, the crab took a shaky step back before it looked away, eyes narrowed in what could only be called annoyance. The sun was blazing now, having risen fully, and he ached to find shadowy shelter and catch himself a good meal to nurse his wounds and get back in fighting shape. As of right now, he was currently at the mercy of this strange humanlike being and his state of anxiousness was starting to show as the other persisted with his questions.

“Ya like butting in a crab’s business, I see.”

Maui raised an eyebrow at that answer, a hint of amusement showing in his expression as the crab starting giving away his frustration with the whole situation, looking pointedly at the conch that was cradled carefully in the demigod’s hand.

“I just came here so my conscience wouldn’t kill me in my sleep. With that settled, I’ll be going now. ‘twas nice interacting with something that actually talked back but I have better things to do.”

With that, the crab began turning around, to Maui’s astonishment.

“Bye.” He said with an air of finality, starting to strut away with the most grace he could muster.

Snapping out of his perplexed state, Maui shook his head and was quick to put himself in the way of the almost fleeing crab, trying to make himself as less intimidating as possible.

“Hey, hey, now, what’s the rush? You’re not seriously going to wander off out there in that state, are you?” Maui held up his hands in a placating gesture, flashing a rather friendly toothy grin at the crab. He didn’t want the other to leave thinking he meant any harm, after all.

To his surprise, the crab let out a humor filled laugh, his antennae flicking with the movement.

“And what’s it to you? I’ve made my peace, now was supposed to be the time we part ways and never lay eyes on each other again. Perhaps a few centuries later, where you’ll challenge and vanquish me for some sort of heroic enough reason.”

The crab’s tone had grown increasingly bitter, eyes roving over Maui’s tattoos with an odd mix of interest and resignation. It dawned on Maui that the monster did know who he was after all.

Still, Maui wasn’t one to be deterred by a few sharp worded jabs and recovered just as quickly, running a hand through his curls.

“I see my growing reputation precedes me amongst your kind already. But let’s be real here, we both don’t look like we play too much by the rules here, now do we?”

The crab’s way of fighting, vicious, fast and opportunistic only reinforced his statement but Maui didn’t mention it, wanting only to prove his point that he just wanted to help, driven by his fascination and curiosity.

The crab looked disgruntled but also thoughtful as he regarded the demigod silently. He let out a small chirp of agreement at last and Maui took a step forward, although still cautiously so not to alarm the monster.

“…Never thought I’d hear such words from a demigod’s mouth.” His eyes were half lidded, staring at Maui with a new glint in them. Said demigod could feel some kind of empathy with this creature, as if there simply was this feeling with adequacy between them and their odd, first meeting conversation.

Just like him, the crab was a fighter. And before that, a survivor.

“I’m pretty sure you’d never thought you would see a demigod either!” Maui stated, his grin becoming smug.

There was a short span of silence after that boisterous claim and Maui was starting to feel confused when the other made a snort like sound, pincers clacking together once again.

“Not sure what I was expecting for that…”

Whatever he meant, there was a lingering feeling of disappointment in those words and Maui could only feel slightly insulted.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” He was nothing but impressive to behold and to have a simple crab, even if a monster, display such a lack of reaction to his generous offer of help was outrageous, to say the least.

An answer to the obvious rhetoric question seemed, indeed, completely unnecessary.

Sighing, Maui threw precaution to the wind and took the last remaining steps towards the crab, who instinctively backed away on still wobbly legs but couldn’t distance himself too much in his state. Maui kneeled and reached out, touching the oddly bent leg slightly and almost getting a vicious strike of a pincer to his face in return.

“ _Don’t_ touch it!” The monster growled warningly, previous playful demeanor gone with Maui’s impatient rash actions.

That wouldn’t deter him though, as the issue was now very much clear.

“Your leg is broken, fish-for-brains. You need to get that reattached if you want it to heal properly.” Maui growled back, his own stubbornness making him dead set on helping this crab, even if to just prove himself a point that he could do it.

The monster recoiled in himself a bit, eyes narrowed as he almost tucked his injured leg close to his underside. His demeanor showed defiance but his body language only screamed a fear born from pure instinct.

“I’ll manage on my own just fine, thank you.” He bit out and made to turn away once again. But before he could even do that, said cursed leg finally gave out after all the strain and stress he kept putting it through and made him stumble to then fall lopsided on the side.

Ah. And so he falls from grace. What an anti-climatic turn of events.

The crab could only sigh, looking up at the sky as if blaming it for all his grievances and his antennae drooped slightly, twitching when he heard the demigod approaching him again.

“See? C’mon, let’s get you fixed up.” He said with finality, kneeling down so that the crab could lean on him to get back up. He did so, mouth twitching in annoyance but something inside him felt light with a relief that he hadn’t felt in ages it seemed.

When was the last time somebody, heck, even _something,_ extended him the barest hint of a gentle gesture?

Still, he wouldn’t keep quiet about it.

“Why do you even care?” He finally asked, his tone carrying a certain defeat as he was lead away from the shore and into the demigod’s chosen spot for campfire and shelter.

Maui shrugged, looking up at the towering monster and flashed another one of his charming grins.

“I don’t know, same reason why you came back to thank me, I guess.”

Touché.

After that, the crab remained silent for the rest of their short trek, letting himself be guided by this elusively kind demigod.

In truth, they were both humbled by each other.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was the middle of the morning when they arrived at Maui’s temporarily chosen cave in the island, the inside feeling moist and cool but the rock feeling dry beneath their feet. The clacks of the crab’s legs against the floor echoed ominously around it, making it look bigger than it actually was.

The monster felt intimidated in a way, feeling cornered and injured and far too trusting of this stranger. And even worse: an overpowered stranger. He was starting to recite a list of reasons why this was a bad idea in his mind when Maui broke the silence, stopping not too far deep into the cave and letting him rest against the rocky wall.

“Well, here we are. Wait here, I’ll go get my supplies and see what we can do to hold that together once it’s reattached.”

The crab only nodded, hazy eyes looking around and antennae flicking as he sensed for his surroundings, catching, indeed, Maui’s growing characteristically earthly scent as dominant around this area.  

Once the demigod returned, he was carrying a long slip of stringy fabric along with a small bottle –some kind of ointment, perhaps. He wordlessly kneeled again before the crab and immediately set on his task, reaching for the injured leg a bit more cautiously this time.

The crab pursed his mouth before nodding, closing his eyes and bracing himself as he felt those human hands close around his limb, firm and testing.

**_Clack!_ **

At first there was numbness accompanied with a weird feeling of displacement, as if a weight had been lifted from him.

Then came the rush of stinging pain, making him yelp and recoil, pincers waving halfheartedly and Maui found it easy to restrain him as he hissed.

“A little warning would have been appreciated, man!”

Maui rolled his eyes, not even looking apologetic as he uncapped the small bottle he had brought and started smearing it over his wound. It was an odd foreign feeling to the crab, something that he couldn’t quite place but didn’t seem to dislike.

“It’s always easier to bear when it’s not expected.” He replied calmly, gaze fixed on his task.

He knew from personal experience.

The ointment was slick and cold but it left a slight burning sensation along his leg. It wasn’t unpleasant but the pain still echoed along his body, spreading across his other limbs and making it difficult to stand still.

Once Maui found himself satisfied, he started unrolling the fabric to then start wrapping it around the wound along with a stray very long but thin branch he had found on their way here, using it as a makeshift splint.

“That should be enough for now.” He stated, satisfied with how it turned out. The crab only looked at him to then blink down at the first aid handiwork. He tried to shake his injured leg a bit and, although still in pain, it remained upright and no longer bent at impossible angles.

Still not understanding why someone would go to such lengths for him, he gave up pursuing an answer though as Maui sat down in front of him. There was a look of expectancy from him and the crab rolled his eyes in his own manner.

“You’re Maui. Demigod of the Wind and Sea. You lassoed the Sun, right?” His gaze strayed once again to the demigod’s pectoral, where that particular tattoo resided.

And just like that Maui’s whole expression –nay, his whole _being_ \- brightened, smiling smugly.

“That’s me alright!”

The crab could only guess what Maui’s favorite subject of conversation was.

But that only brought them to another unspoken unknown.

“And you? Have a name, crabcake?”

The crab’s expression took on a slight note of confusion, eyes focusing on a random spot in the wall behind Maui. Names were a creation of humans and Gods.

Monsters had no need for names when in one second you could be at the very top and the next you could be in another one’s belly. He had no memory of ever going by anything, of ever having a reputation big enough that warranted something to call him by. He had just been himself.

Although, there was something that had stuck with him, when he was at the mercy of the Kakamora.

Flashes of yet another defeated foe amongst the crowd of the coconut dressed pirates and their cheers echoed across his mind. They had no discerning language but one full word seemed to stand out.

_‘Tamatoa! Tamatoa!’_

Looking back down at Maui, he settled for that, finding it strangely suitable enough.

“I am Tamatoa.”

Staring at each other, they exchanged a first look of understanding.

“Tamatoa..." Maui repeated, trying out the sound of it before his smile widened, his gaze warm. "Cool name."

And indeed, it didn’t sound too bad coming from his lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they are now officially properly acquainted! (▰˘◡˘▰)

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, never thought I'd write anything like this and certainly not about such an unlikely pair but I think they're charming and I might as well indulge myself. Hope you all like it! <3
> 
> (Chapters will be longer from now on, this was just a prologue.)
> 
> My [tumblr](http://sizzlin-teapot.tumblr.com/).


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